*Do not read this unless you have finished the book*

 

Thought I would share some author insight about each book.

Some are about the characters and some about the story itself, or

perhaps subject matter, theme or inspiration.

No deep analysis, just random creative thoughts.

 

Listed in alphabetical order:

5-Star Texas Trilogy

I got the idea for this by watching real football, which is another passion of mine. After I wrote the first book, though, I felt like the story was unfinished. I really liked all of the characters in the Weber family, so I decided to keep going. That’s how I ended up with three books that took us all through the siblings.

Book One – Anything but Cliché

Book Two – Double-handed, Double-Dipper

Book Three – Supper before Saying Grace

30 or Bust

Camara is a composite character. Her story embraces so many real-life romances. Sometimes, people fall in love with the wrong person. Or maybe the right person at the wrong time. People also fall in love, and then sometimes out of love… and not always at the same time.

Can’t Take any S’mores

Jase is not supposed to be particularly likable at the beginning. He is selfish and immature, having been spoiled himself and sheltered from the real world consequences. His story is really about him meeting two polar opposite women. One is exactly like him, and the other is nothing like him. The lessons he learns from both of them are what change his life forever.

A Good Day To Skip Tea

I love history. I love genealogy. But what I really love blending the two together to try to imagine their lives at the time. That’s what made me decide to write some historical pieces. They are actually far more work because I do try to be historically accurate in the background.

I also really like British period pieces. Catherine Cookson is one of my favorite authors, and one of my mouth. Inspirations.

Family Chosen

Sometimes family members can be similar in values and still lead very different lives. That is the case between sisters Jenny and Sharon. In addition, it is possible to confuse true love with settling for a less satisfying relationship, which is the case between Jenny and Mitch. In both cases, it took an unexpected tragedy to change their lives in ways that might never have happened otherwise.

Give That Man a Cookie

The relationship between Beth and Harley is one of my favorite. I enjoyed their banter, their role reversals, and ultimately their imperfections.

Midlife Butt Dial

Cheating is never right, but how someone responds is never wrong either. That’s why I tried to present all sides of infidelity in this story. Libby’s decision is hers and hers alone. Other women may have made a different choice under the circumstances. But I do think that the most significant difference is how much deceit was involved. A one night mistake is different than a long period of lying or multiple transgression. And, of course, a resulting pregnancy takes it to an entirely different level.

Musical Chairs of Men

My favorite writer growing up was LaVyrle Spencer. What I loved about her stories was that they were never just about two people. They involved families and communities, whose lives and stories intertwined. That was always my inspiration and intention. Some books are a little more true to that philosophy. This was one of them.

My Color is… Pencil?

Everyone who has ever had a broken heart has to move on from Plan A. Plus, I think it’s human nature to wonder “what if?”, especially when things aren’t going as planned. That was my initial premise for this book. Also, for the record, my mother-in-law was the most wonderful woman in the world.

 

Pact In the Rearview Mirror

I thought it would be fun to tell a story from each character’s point of view. I realize that is contrary to “editor protocol”, but I did it anyway. I didn’t know how else to show that sometimes the same events can be interpreted in different ways. Plus, not everyone does the right thing all the time. That doesn’t make them inherently bad people, especially when everyone has their flaws.

Paint me a Sculptor

This story itself is not unique or full of many twists and turns. Instead, it is a story of two people with entirely different visions of love on opposite ends of the spectrum. Both of them will discover they are right and wrong… and will have to accept that love sometimes is not so black and white but much grayer.

Perfectly Imperfect

I was honestly nervous about publishing this book. I spent hours researching in trying to be sure that I was not offensive in any way while still trying to deal with the issues of ethnic stereotyping. I hope I didn’t fail, and that if I somehow did the reader will know that my intentions were good even if my execution was poor.

Same question, Same answer

This is one of my more unique stories because it is told from the point of view of two main characters who do not end up with each other at the end. Each of them ends up with someone who is never a “major” category. But it is about the journey two main characters to reach their happy endings, despite it not being with each other

Sisters under the Skin

 This is one of my longer books because it is about the growing up of a man, which takes a lot longer than it does for most women – ha

Skinny Dipping with Alligators

Much of my inspiration for writing comes from current events. It’s less about a direct correlation to any actual event and more about scenarios of possibilities. This is one of those cases. It was never meant to be a commentary on party platforms but rather the political process. Still, it is impossible not to write with some personal bias…

And I own that.

Sooner or Never

I spent so much time much time researching the historical facts, I was too tired for sex. So… there isn’t nearly as much as some of my other books.
Yet, I really think this story is one of the most romantic because you fall in love with them as they fall in love with each other.

The Price of Gold

I look forward to the Olympics every two years, and I love the personal stories that come with the athletes. In recent years, though, they are not all “feel good” tales. Real athletes have real struggles. That’s what this book is about… and the challenge to overcome them. To me, it represents real life with or without a medal involved.

The Song of Life

Sometimes good people make stupid mistakes, and not all of them can be forgiven or forgotten. You read stories all the time and they often make the one what was really going behind the scenes. This story is about cheating on the consequences, but it is also about the journey of self examination in the aftermath.

Tobias

Unplanned pregnancy can be confusing for young people, especially where first love is involved. It can lead to making decisions that are neither rational nor wise. On top of that, the hurt can linger and continue to cloud judgment. This book explores second-guessing those decisions.

Treehouse of Life

Everyone makes mistakes growing up. Learning from them is what matters. This book is also about learning how to cope when life hands you the worst it has to offer. Sometimes it can be confusing, particularly for young people when it comes to love. First love can be painful, and that hurt may never go away. But sometimes you learn to move on.

Universal Truths of Jane:

I have always loved Jane Austen, and thought it would be fun to write “with” her. This story is my one and only up attempt to do that.

As for the story itself, it was the first time that I have my heroine genuinely love two men, and while the ending is sad, it is also the way that she is able to do that for the rest of her life.

Woman by the Hearth

Faith mean different things to different people. This is more about how it affects some lives than about any particular religion. Having said that, it does explore some of the dark and hypocritical aspects as well as the resilience of truth belief despite those things.

As the book itself, sometimes I know exactly how it’s going to end. And then, other times, the story evolves as the characters do. Sometimes when that happens I change my mind about who really belonged together. This is one of those times. I really fell in love with George. So despite the May December challenge, I went with my gut.

X-tramarital Affair

I read somewhere that Erotica was the hottest most successful genre of romance literature. So, I thought, what the heck! I will give it a go. How hard could it be? Well, it turns out it was much more difficult than I anticipated. So this is my attempt. I found the hardest part was the vocabulary. I didn’t have it in me. Having said that, though, Tessa may be my favorite character.